Michelle Gayle | |
|---|---|
 Gayle in 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Michelle Patricia Gayle |
| Born | (1971-02-02)2 February 1971 (age 54) |
| Origin | Harlesden,London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | |
| Spouse | |
Michelle Patricia Gayle (born 2 February 1971) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and writer. Gayle had success as asoul and R&B singer in the 1990s, having achieved seventop 40singles in theUK Singles Chart. These include "Sweetness" and "Do You Know".[1] She released two top 40 albums throughRCA Records but they parted company in 1997, and although Gayle has recorded other albums, they have not been released.
As an actress, Gayle is known for her work on television, in particular playingHattie Tavernier inBBC'sEastEnders from 1990 to 1993. She has also had various roles in film and theatre, such as playingBelle in theWest End musicalBeauty and the Beast in 1999. She has taken part in several celebrity-based reality television shows, and, in June 2007, she became a panellist forITV's topical chatshowLoose Women. Gayle also branched out into writing, and the rights to her first novel were acquired byWalker Books in 2010. The book,Pride and Premiership, was published on 5 May 2011.[2]
Gayle was born in 1971 in the northwest part of London, in theHarlesden area.[3][4] She attended theBarbara Speake Stage School inActon, west London, at a time whenNaomi Campbell,Amma Asante andKwame Kwei-Armah were also attending.[5] She first became publicly known when she appeared in thechildren's BBC television programmeGrange Hill in1988 and1989 as Fiona Wilson, who was most notably part of a rap duo named Fresh 'n' Fly.[6]
Gayle later appeared as an extra in TV DramaLondon's Burning and in theChildren's ITV television programmePress Gang in 1990 as a background member of the news team, and that same year she won the role ofHattie Tavernier in the popular BBC soap operaEastEnders. The introduction of the Tavernier family heralded the first time that an entire family had joined the programme all at once. Their introduction was also a well-intentioned attempt to portray a wider range ofblack characters than had previously been achieved on the show.[7] Gayle's character remained in the show for three years asIan Beale's PA and was featured in an array of storylines including being abandoned by her fiancéSteve Elliot (Mark Monero) and suffering amiscarriage as a result. However, music was always Gayle's first passion, and in 1993 she leftEastEnders to pursue a singing career.[8]
In 1999, Gayle playedBelle, the lead female, in Disney'sBeauty and the Beast, and she returned to television acting in 2003, guest-starring in the BBC television dramasDoctors andHolby City. She went on to play the role of Lara in theFive soap opera,Family Affairs (2005), and played the lead female character, Yvonne, in the filmJoy Division, which was released in November 2006. The film tells the story of a German boy who is orphaned inWorld War II and then groomed as aKGB sleeper. Gayle starred inJason Barrett's British feature filmThe Naked Poet as character Joanne, which was screened in London's Mayfair Hotel December 2011.
On stage, she played the role of Brenda inAngie Le Mar'sThe Brothers at theHackney Empire in April 2006, and she went on to play Jill in Pat Ashworth's ensemble stage production,Mum's the Word, which toured the UK from February to June 2007.[9] She appeared in the CBBC seriesWolfblood as Imara.
In March 2018, she began playing the role of as Alison in the musicalSon of a Preacher Man, which is based on the life ofDusty Springfield.[10]
She is currently[when?] playing the role of Hermione Granger in the West End production ofHarry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Gayle was a contestant onITV's reality-television showReborn in the USA, competing against artists such asElkie Brooks,Sonia,Gina G,Leee John andTony Hadley. Gayle made it to the final and finished second behind Hadley. In 2004, Gayle presented the UMA Awards with ex-EastEnderGary Beadle,[11] and in 2005, she appeared as a celebrity mentor on theFive documentaryPushy Parents.
In March 2006, she took part in the fourth series of theChannel 4 reality-television showThe Games competing against various other celebrities in a series of sports events. Gayle came third in the competition and raised more than £5,000 for her chosen charity, theWillow Foundation.[12] She later became a guest panellist onITV's topical chatshowLoose Women, in June 2007.
In June 2009, it was announced that Gayle would be one of several celebrities competing inDancing on Wheels, BBC's spin-off show to the popular reality television competitionStrictly Come Dancing.Dancing on Wheels paired able-bodied celebrities with those in wheelchairs. The winning pair represented the UK at the Wheelchair Dance Sport European Championships in Israel in October 2009.[13] Gayle and partner Harry Maule reached the semi-finals, but were beaten in the dance-off by Diana Morgan-Hill and Olympic swimmer Mark Foster.
Before she gained commercial success, Gayle sang with a rap duo called R-MOR-FUS, performing gigs at various clubs and low-key venues.[14]In 1993, while she was still on the cast ofEastEnders, Gayle signed withRCA Records and launched herself as a solo artist. Her debut single "Looking Up" reached number 11hit. By 1994, she had her biggest-selling single to date, "Sweetness", which reached number 4,[15] spent 16 weeks in theUK Singles Chart and was certified silver, selling more than 300,000 copies. Gayle had further chart success in 1994 with the number-26 hit "I'll Find You"; in 1995 with the number-16 "Freedom"; and the number-11 "Happy Just to Be with You" which sampled The Sugar Hill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" andChic's "Good Times". These five singles were taken from Gayle's self-titled debut albumMichelle Gayle, which was released in 1994, peaked at number 30 in theUK Albums Chart, and was certifiedgold.
Gayle also appeared on the Childliners charity record "The Gift of Christmas" in 1995, alongside acts such asBackstreet Boys,Boyzone,E.Y.C.,Sean Maguire,Deuce,Ultimate Kaos,Let Loose,East 17,Peter Andre,MN8,Dannii Minogue and many more. It peaked at number 9.[16]
Gayle returned in 1997 with her sixth single, "Do You Know", which reached number 6.[15] This was followed by the song "Sensational", which reached number 14. Both singles were taken from Gayle's second album,Sensational, which had multiple producers, and was recorded in both London and Los Angeles.[17] DespiteSensational being praised bycritics, the album had disappointing sales. It entered the album chart at number 17, but quickly fell out of the top 40 the following week. Due to poor album sales, Gayle left RCA. During the time she was signed to the label, Gayle received threeBRIT Award nominations: two in 1995 for 'Best Single' and 'Best Female Artist', and one in 1998 for 'Best Female Artist'.
Following her departure from RCA, Gayle signed withEMI. She recorded an album for that label, but due to an artist rostering re-shuffle, she had left the company by 1999 before the album was released. After leaving EMI in 1999, Gayle took to the West End stage and playedBelle inDisney'sBeauty and the Beast. After an extended break from show business to look after her son, Isaiah, Gayle began developing her music production company M Media Productions.[18] She also appeared on other artists' albums, including those ofIvan Matias,Me One,Shabba and Lemon D.[19]
In 2003, Gayle accepted the offer to appear in the reality television seriesReborn in the USA, a televised singing competition where former British pop acts were transported to the US, with the hope of revitalising their music careers. Gayle finished second in the competition, taking runner-up position toTony Hadley in the final. Following her success on the programme, Gayle began working on new material.[20]
Gayle reinvented herself as a UKR&B artist,[15] and worked on material for her third album with New York record producer Terence Dudley – famous for working on50 Cent's albumGet Rich or Die Tryin'.[18] At the end of 2004, Gayle appeared on several TV shows promoting the release of her new single, "Gotta Be Me", but the single was pulled before its release. In an interview withThe Voice newspaper in April 2006, she divulged that she did make a new album, but her record company (N2 Records) folded.[21]
Gayle was one of the participants of the pre-selection stage ofEurovision – Your Decision, which determined who the United Kingdom would send to theEurovision Song Contest inSerbia on 24 May 2008. Gayle co-wrote her song, "Woo (U Make Me)", with Rashelle Davies and Morten Schjolin, and described it as "pop in essence, but with a very cool 60's vibe to it".[22] Gayle came second in the public vote on 1 March 2008, behindAndy Abraham.
In June 2023 Gayle made a surprise appearance on stage at singerLouise's concert at theShepherd's Bush Empire to perform "Sweetness".[23]
During an interview with theBlackpool Gazette in February 2007, Gayle mentioned that she was in the process of writing her first novel. The plot involved an unpleasant TV talent-show judge who discovers he is dying. She said: "It's sort of fiction but not fiction but it is made up and true, so when you read it you'll see it's fictional but also real, and I hope it explains a few things about the pop business."[24] It was never published.
Walker Books acquired the rights to Gayle's novel,Pride and Premiership, in 2010 and the book was published on 5 May 2011.[25] The novel, aimed at a teen market, depicts the story of two girls who aspire to beWAGs, or wives/girlfriends of football players. Gayle, who was once married to a professional footballer, has commented, "In the time ofJane Austen'sPride & Prejudice a woman had to get married to support herself. We’ve got to an age where a woman can support herself but still wants to marry a footballer to support her. I'm not WAG-bashing or footballer-bashing, I just want girls to make informed decisions about their future."[26]
She has also written for television, contributing episodes ofWolfblood andA Discovery of Witches.
Gayle was married to ex-professionalfootballer and football punditMark Bright[27] for ten years, and had one son, Isaiah, with him. The couple separated in 2007 and divorced on 18 April 2008. Gayle isgodmother to the daughter of the actressJacqui Gordon-Lawrence, who played her on-screen mother,Etta Tavernier, inEastEnders.[20] Gayle is ateetotaller[28] and does not eat meat.[29] On 4 August 2011 it was announced onThe Wright Stuff that she was pregnant. On Twitter, she announced the birth of her son, Luke, on 2 November 2011.
| Michelle Gayle discography | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 2 |
| Compilation albums | 1 |
| Singles | 10 |
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [30] | UK R&B [31] | SCO [32] | ||||||||||||
| Michelle Gayle |
| 30 | 5 | 80 | ||||||||||
| Sensational |
| 17 | 7 | 32 | ||||||||||
| Looking Up |
| — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [30] | UK Dance [34] | UK R&B [35] | EUR [36] | GER [37] | IRE [38] | NED [39] | NZ [40] | SCO [41] | SWI [42] | |||||
| 1993 | "Looking Up" | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Michelle Gayle | ||
| 1994 | "Sweetness" | 4 | 18 | 1 | 18 | 53 | 11 | 38 | 27 | 6 | 21 |
| ||
| "I'll Find You" | 26 | 8 | 3 | 79 | — | — | — | — | 24 | — | ||||
| 1995 | "Freedom" | 16 | 6 | 2 | 38 | — | — | — | — | 31 | — | |||
| "Happy Just to Be with You" | 11 | 13 | 2 | 31 | 66 | — | 40 | 44 | 18 | — | ||||
| 1997 | "Do You Know" | 6 | — | 2 | 44 | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | Sensational | ||
| "Sensational" | 14 | — | 7 | 85 | — | — | — | — | 20 | — | ||||
| 2004 | "Got to Be Me" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| 2008 | "Woo (U Make Me)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2018 | "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
